Paper Angels
by siggy88
Summary: A paper angel...a missing child...and two detectives working around the clock to bring him home for the holidays.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Law & Order: SVU is property of Dick Wolf, NBC, USA Network, etc. I do not own the characters…I'm just borrowing them for the story. The song "Paper Angels" was written by Jimmy Wayne and Don Sampson and is performed by Jimmy Wayne. The song and all lyrics are property of DreamWorks Nashville.

_After everyday after Thanksgiving sales_

_The malls just ain't complete_

_Without a bunch of decorations _

_And a paper angel tree_

_There's artificial smiles on artificial tree limbs_

_Sayin' what she'd love to have and what to buy for him…_

**Manhattan Mall**

**Sunday, December 19, 2004**

**6:47pm**

Elliot Stabler shuffled his way through the last minute throng of shoppers drifting through level C-1 of the Manhattan Mall. Holiday music piped through the loudspeakers, drowned out only by the screams of eager children in line to meet Santa, the 'ching-ching!' of cash registers and the volunteers ringing bells in support of the Salvation Army's red kettle drive.

A beautiful Christmas tree stood against the backdrop of the chaos, decorated in garland, beads, tinsel…and dozens of paper angels. For years Elliot had made it a point to visit the tree, sometimes with his family in tow, plucking off one or more of the angels and figuring out what gifts would be appropriate for little boys or little girls whose names on the back of the paper stood as poignant reminders to all those less fortunate during the holiday season.

_Well I hope Maggie likes her new winter clothes_

_And her buggy with the baby doll_

_And maybe Tommy smiles in his new Nike shoes_

_When he shoots that basketball_

_I can't help but wishing that I could do more_

_And not just while I'm shopping in the department store…_

Snaking his way to the tree with bags in tow, Elliot pulled two angels from the branches. With KB Toys on the same floor and the shopping for his own children not quite finished, he smiled to himself at the thought of adding a few more names to his list.

Lost in his own thoughts as he debated over action figures and Barbie dolls, he didn't quite notice the commotion from the family standing next to him.

"Honey, we need to notify the mall security or call the police!"

It was the end of that statement that caught Elliot's attention, and he snapped his head up to see the anxious face of a young African-American woman, her right hand gripping the small piece of paper her husband had pulled from the tree.

"Ma'am, I'm an SVU detective. Is something wrong?"

The woman handed the paper to Elliot. On the back he saw a child's handwriting. Scrawled across the paper were a short message and a phone number.

_Help! I was kidnapped. 212-477-1244. Mitch._

**Special Victims Unit Squad room**

**8:05pm**

Elliot shrugged his coat off, loosening the neck of his sweater. He had a lukewarm cup of coffee in his right hand, a cell phone tucked under his ear. He finished the call just as Captain Cragen walked through the door.

"What couldn't wait until morning, Detective?"

"This. It was pulled off a tree at the Manhattan Mall."

He stepped forward and handed the paper, now sealed in a plastic evidence bag, to the Captain. Cragen examined it, turning it over and reading the message. Skepticism instantly shrouded his eyes.

"You call the number?"

Elliot nodded. "Phone's disconnected. I'm on my way to the lab…see if we can pull a print from the paper…run it through the databank and get lucky? Maybe it's a missing kid."

"Then you hand it over to Missing Persons."

"Cap'n…"

"Elliot, we're backlogged with our own cases. You've got trial prep in the morning, and

Fin is otherwise indisposed. Let MPS handle it."

Elliot turned away and crossed his arms over his broad chest, defiance etched in his features. "We're the best chance that this kid has got."

Cragen sighed. "If there is a kid."

Elliot continued to stare him down. "We can't be sure there's not. Look, I just want to make a few inquiries. If there's a dead end I'll hand it off."

Cragen noted the stubborn streak that seemed to accompany Elliot Stabler was in rare form, but at the same time he understood it was every cop's instinct – every good cop—

to protect the smallest of victims. Finally he nodded.

"See what you can find out…BUT…you don't move on anything until you come to me. Got it?"

Elliot nodded, grabbing his jacket and stuffing his cell phone in his pocket. As he made a move for the door, Cragen called out, "Get a hold of Benson. See if you can pull your resources!"

Elliot's reply drifted through the hallway. "Already done, Cap'n."

_**10 hours later…**_

Cragen stood in the doorway of the precinct with a newspaper tucked under his arm, having walked in on a scene more reminiscent of a scavenger hunt than an 'unofficial inquiry'. Empty coffee cups were stacked among the desks…files sat open and random papers and pictures were taped to the white board, surrounded by arrows, circled information and question marks.

Stabler was leaning against the far wall facing the window, one hand propped against the cool cement as he impatiently waited for a fax that seemed to be taking entirely too long. Cragen took in his disheveled appearance, knowing full well Elliot had spent the entire night in the precinct.

He looked around and spotted Olivia tucked behind a computer monitor, the phone to her ear, her voice rising at every letter she recited to the person on the other end of the call. "H-O-L-L-E-T-T. That's two L's, two T's." She paused. "Hold? No. I've been on hold. Look…I just need information!"

She sighed as she pulled the receiver from her ear in disgust. "El, any luck on the last known address?"

He answered without pulled his attention from the fax machine. "Still waiting on NCIC. You get contact information for the father?"

Instead of an answer from Olivia, Cragen's voice boomed through the squad room.

"What the hell is going on?"


	2. Positive ID

Elliot answered first, pulling a paper from his desk. "Crime lab got an ID from the fingerprint. Mitch Hollett, age eight, believed to have been abducted by his father, Drew Hollett, eleven months ago. We're waiting on records from NCIC. They say the guy's got a criminal history, including assault and battery and making terroristic threats."

Olivia jumped in. "And, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent us this photo of the child."

She walked across the room, handing Cragen an 8x10 of a young boy with short brown hair and blue eyes.

Cragen sighed. "What's the story with the mother?"

Elliot shrugged. "Parents were divorced and shared joint custody. Now Mitch…he lived with her. The current address is listed in Plattsburgh, NY. No answer at the house overnight, so local authorities are trying to contact family members…see if we can locate her. She might just be out of town for the holidays."

"And the father?"

"After the last custody hearing in January of this year, he took off with his son during a weekend visit. Since then, he's been good at covering his tracks. No trail of credit card receipts, no trace of his social security number being used....I'd say the chances are good that the Drew Hollett has been using an alias since he abducted the kid last year."

Cragen looked at both of his detectives. "What's your next move?"

Olivia sat down on the corner of her desk. "We'll need to head back to the mall…see if security cameras picked up anyone matching the descriptions of Drew or Mitch Hollett."

Elliot looked at his watch. "Mall's not open yet, Liv. Besides, what are the odds that those cameras store any video that's not more than a day old?"

She looked at him quizzically. "The odds are small…but it might give us something to go on. Right now we're just playing phone tag."

Elliot walked back to his desk, frustration obvious in his body language. "Our best option is to get a trace on the phone records for the number Mitch Hollett left on that paper. Even if it's disconnected, it'll let us know what he's been up to. We can figure out who Dad's been in contact with."

Cragen stepped between them. "Olivia, get in contact with mall security. I'll send Munch over there with a description of the father and son. Stabler, my office."

Elliot went first, and Cragen shut the door behind them.

"What part of 'you don't move on anything until you come to me' didn't you understand?"

"Captain, that kid has been a hostage for eleven months. His father has a history of abuse. That kid left that note for a reason."

"And that gives you the right to wake up half the state of New York to look for him?"

Elliot was seething. "You thought I would sit back and do nothing? This is the first substantial lead in this case since this kid disappeared."

Cragen's voice held no emotion. "And if you would've sorted through this rationally, instead of charging head first into everything, we could've had a court order for those phone records hours ago. The only thing you're allowing yourself to see is a family torn apart and a father who abused and abducted his son."

Elliot sank down into a chair. "And that's not supposed to piss me off?"


	3. A peace offering

Cragen pulled a chair up next to Elliot, his eyes showing a mixture of anger and understanding. "What part's pisses you off more…the divorced father who wasn't happy with the custody arraignment, or the fact that you can empathize with him?"

"Cap'n…"

Cragen put a hand up to silence him. "Last year when we suspected Peter Forbes of abducting his own son on the day of a custody hearing, you admitted to Olivia and to Dr. Huang that in the same situation, you might have done something that desperate. Yes or no?"

Elliot nodded, pulling at the cuff of his sleeve. "Yeah, I probably said something that stupid."

"And in that situation you were reacting as a parent would, nine times out of ten, if they were facing the loss of a child. To be perfectly honest, I would've been concerned if something like that hadn't come out of your mouth."

The detective gave him a half-hearted grin. "So you think I might kidnap my kids if things don't work out with Kathy? Is that why you've got Liv keeping close tabs on me these days?"

Cragen stood up. "I think your partner's just worried about you, Elliot."

He followed suit, pulling his tall frame out of the chair and heading for the door. "Yeah…she's probably wondering when I'm going to get my head out of my ass."

Cragen put a hand on his shoulder to stop his exit. "Everything sorting itself out at home?"

Elliot shrugged. "For now. We're kind of living day-to-day...at least until the kids feel more comfortable with things."

Cragen's expression softened. "You need anything, just let me know."

"I will Cap...and…thanks."

Cragen nodded. "Why don't you go sit down with Benson and figure out what your next move is going to be. I'll get Novak moving on those phone records.

Elliot walked out of the Captain's office to see his partner eyeing him warily.

"We still have a case?"

Elliot nodded and waved a finger at her, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'll be back shortly." …

He returned about twenty minutes later, presenting her with a toasted bagel, napkins and a fresh cup of coffee.

"What's this?"

Elliot sighed. "A peace offering?"

"For?"

He sat across from her, fidgeting with the rim on a cup of orange juice. "For being an unbearable, self-absorbed jerk the past few weeks? Look Liv…I know I haven't been easy to work lately…just…thanks for putting up with me."

Olivia leaned forward and gave him an amused expression. "Is that your idea of an apology? I was at least expecting dinner and some inexpensive wine."

Elliot gave her a lopsided grin for her efforts to diffuse the tension. Finally, she touched him lightly on the arm. "El…I'm here for you…you know that right? As your partner, as a friend, as a confidant…whatever you need."

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I know…I just…I need some time to think things through."

She glanced at him over the lid of her coffee cup. "Well if you need a sounding board, don't forget about me. Now where's your food?"

He shrugged. "I'm watching my figure."

"Wrong answer, partner." She broke the bagel in half, sliding it towards him. "You need to eat something."

He put it off to the side of his desk. "Maybe later."

Olivia glanced sharply at him.

Feigning annoyance, he picked up the bagel and took a small bite. "Satisfied?"

She smiled triumphantly. "For now. So, while you were gone…"

Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback so far. I'll try to have an update everyday, including longer chapters, but no promises (Hey, I work in the news…overtime can be a hazard ;). This one was purposely to touch on Elliot's family problems and his friendship with Olivia…which I wasn't about to ignore. But next chapter we'll get back to the missing boy…


End file.
